SEPTEMBER 11

 There are momentous events in our lives and one that every American ought to remember is September 11, 2001.  As I watched Fox News this morning replay the actual events, I turned to some of the other channels to see if they were also revisiting the event.  Nothing, except a bit on NBC.  Nothing!  Are you joking?  My husband and I remember clearly the events of that momentous day.  WE enjoy our morning coffee with breakfast and the news.  Back then, we usually watched ABC with Charlie Gibson and when the first plane struck, we were awestruck.  Our day was changed.  My husband went to work as he was a travel agent at the time and he was trying to help folks get back home.  It was difficult because planes were grounded and there was no rental car available anywhere.  He kept pretty busy that day.

I on the other hand, stayed home and was glued to the TV the rest of the day.  There wasn't any sense in going to my design business that day and I'm not sure what the rest of the week held.  Probably not much.  In Northwest Florida in the Panhandle, we have two major Air Force Bases and Pensacola Naval Air Station about an hour away.  Our AF bases immediately shut down.  My son was supposed to start a job at the Officer's Club that very day.  That job ended.  The club was closed for a foreseeable future.  You couldn't get onto the base for any reason except a very good one.  

In the following months, I remember our community just died.  We have been through a lot here with a heavily military community, many retirees and active duty.  I remember going to the mall on a Friday night which was usually pretty busy.  There were 3 people in the main department store, my husband and I and a sales clerk.  My business floundered and many business closed.  Without the Military shopping at our stores, we couldn't sustain being open.  Then President Bush authorized ease of getting Small Business Loans and I applied for one.  Thank goodness because that loan carried me through in a difficult time.  When I sold my building in 2008 it was paid off.  

I remember at that time how our country came together.  I'm thinking that many of these young protesters and rioters in our cities now need to be put in a locked room and made to watch the entire events of that day.  Many of them were either small children at the time or not even born.  See what a real tragedy is and how we come together.  Just my opinion.  Thank you for reading.  I'm sure you all have stories of your own.  God Bless America!  

BLOCK SWAPS AND DONATIONS!

 In 2019, the Silver Threads Quilt Guild in Fort Walton Beach held a block swap in a box event.  The idea was for each participating guild member to get a box and put your own set of fabrics in it.  Then each month, your box would be given to another member who would make a block for you out of your fabrics.  This went on for 12 months and each month, you were to make the same block with the fabrics and put it back in the box.  It was a lot of fun but when I was putting my box together, I just grabbed this set of older sunflower fabrics and when I got my box back, I knew I wasn't ever going to  finish it up.  

So, I've been following Jo Kramer's blog, https://www.joscountryjunction.com/cresco-ladies-quilts-2/

Jo has talked about the Cresco Ladies in Cresco Iowa as a group who sews tops for charity.  And with the recent storm in Iowa that devastated their surrounding areas, the Cresco Ladies were busy making quilts for those affected.  So I gathered up the blocks from the block swap and some other orphan blocks and fabrics that I had laying around and sent them to the Cresco Ladies.  It felt good to know that I was supporting their efforts and lightening my load of unfinished projects.  

Thank you Silver Threads Quilt guild for sewing the blocks!  The Cresco Ladies made a few more blocks and here is the finished project!  

BINDING TIPS AND MORE!

 I hadn't blogged in a while so I thought it was time.  This morning I was watching this video https://teresadownunder.com/2020/09/03/3-ways-to-improve-your-quilts/ .  I like to read and watch videos from a variety of blogs.  And this is one of them.  There are two tips on the video about binding, one for creating a good corner which I do, and the other on how to join the ends of the binding.  I have had difficulty with this technique because when its demonstrated, you have to turn the binding in a funny way and in a different direction and I always get it wrong.  So mostly I just fold my binding over straight and it works fine.  But Teresa's direction on how to do the binding looks super simple.  She also has the extra edge on her binding which leads me to another post.  

I also like the Suzie's Magic Binding technique is you dont want to handsew your binding and you want a flange edge.  Check out this video  http://www.52quilts.com/2012/05/tuesday-tutorial-susies-magic-binding.html .  There are a variety of blogs out there where you can find any information you want.  

I enjoy handsewing binding but many don't.  I need to get something finished so I can sit at night while watching TV and sew on binding!